Plumtree School - Old Prunitians
Plumtree School - Old Prunitians
Gaul House 1958
CLIFFORD CHARLES COVENTRY - January 13, 1920 to July 16, 2002
submitted by his wife, Ida
Cliff was born
in Ladysmith, Natal, into a farming family, and moved up to Rhodesia when 18
months old. He had two sisters, Vera and Eileen, and a brother, Ronald.
He attended Hartley Primary School, as a border, from the age of five.
Returned home for weekends with his sister Vera and back to school on Monday
mornings travelling on the donkey "milk" cart. Once, when trying to drive it
himself, he turned it over. He expected to be punished but his parents were so
relieved that no-one was hurt that no action was taken ! He won a Bursary (a
Jewish donor) in his final year, which enabled him to attend
Prince
Edward School in Salisbury
from 1931 to1935. His name is on the Honours Board and the Senior Beit
Scholarship Board that hang in the school hall. He was also a Boy Scout.
He attended Rhodes University from 1936 to 1939 where he studied for a BSc and
U.E.D. He played hockey for the First XI and his photograph is in the sports
pavilion at Rhodes. The 1939 team, I think, still stands as the finest Rhodes
Hockey Team of all time, so many colour blazers. He also played for Eastern
Province. He had hoped to get a Rhodes Scholarship but the outbreak of World War
II put an end to this. He returned to Rhodesia, joined the Government, and then
became enlisted.
1940 to 1945
- After his initial training in Salisbury he was sent to India to join The Royal
Buckinghamshire Yeomanry and most of their service was in Burma. He became an
Officer. He wore his medals this year (2002) on Anzac Day to attend a march past of
Rhodesian ex soldiers, carrying the Rhodesian Flag. Awesome.
On returning to Rhodesia he was sent to Chaplin School for a term to settle back
and then posted to Plumtree where he worked from 1946 to 1957. He taught
Maths, which he revelled in, as do his children, and a little physics which he
thoroughly disliked. He became a
master in Milner House under Charles Barrett whom we kept in touch with
throughout the years. Clifford became
Head of Gaul House, I think, from 1952 to1957.
With the help of
the Gaul House Boys (many impot hours included) and an old Ford T lorry that
his father had given him, he landscaped and built the Gaul House Garden (see
photos below). It was
good to see it in the 1990`s and enjoy tea under the Palms but the beautiful
water pond had gone. He spent much
time advising the groundsman about the playing fields, particularly the wickets
and was involved in the construction of the reservoir to supply additional water
for the fields.
Clifford use to
enjoy using his old ford lorry to take interested school boys out into the
surrounding reserves for the shooting of duck or fishing over the long weekends
when many boys weren't able to travel home, especially those from
Mashonaland. These outings were followed by enormous meals in the housemaster's
quarters !
His great love
was sport and at one time he was coaching 1st team cricket, hockey and rugby
all in the same year. He produced some outstanding cricket players - Tony and Dave Pithey, Don Arnott, Richard Napier (Plumtree's best cricket team ); also hockey
players, Hilton Morgan, Dave Murray and others. Several of these boys went on to
play for Rhodesia and South Africa and we are still in touch with them. While
coaching teams he was playing hockey for, and captaining, Rhodesia and became a Springbok
and played for South Africa. Clifford once worked out the approximate number of
hours he had spent coaching cricket and it came to 7 to 8 months, day and night !
He, mostly, thoroughly enjoyed it.
1947, as head
of the "Moths" he had the privilege of meeting the Royal Family on Plumtree
Station as the White Train was passing through on its way to South Africa. King
George VI, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum) and the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, and then
introducing them to the returned soldiers.
1954 - Clifford
enjoyed taking films with a 8mm camera. He and Joe Lunn, director, made a
8mm film for a film contest, involving all the boys, the staff and their wives
and the local farmers and their horses, called "Border Bandits." It did not win
a prize but gave untold happiness and adventure to all involved building up
lasting friendships and raised money for school funds. Its last showing was at
Plumtree in the 1990`s when Mike Whiley was head. Clifford made several trips
across to the Makurikuri Salt Pans in Bechuanaland and up to the Kafue with
lorry loads of boys and members of staff and always took his camera.
1955 - He and
Edgar Ratcliffe-Smith took a party of 28 school boys overseas. They toured
Britain and the continent and were away three months. Before leaving Clifford
assessed what he thought the absence of tuition on the the public exam
candidates' results would be. He didn't think much, and gratefully he was right. He
taught Maths lessons on the boat ! This was a Historic Tour and a film of it
has now been put on video, losing some quality.
1955 - Clifford,
the well known bachelor, married Ida Overall, a teacher from Fort Victoria. Coney
Fleming (Ida`s headmaster) and wife Ellie, and Pat Pattison (Clifford's
headmaster) and wife Vange, had quietly arranged two years previously for them
to meet ! For his cunning, Coney was made Godfather to their first child, Jennifer, and Ida is in touch with Ellie who is now 91.They had four children
- two boys and two girls
but sadly their first son, Anthony John, named after two of his Plumtree School
cricket captains, died of cancer when two years old.
1959 to 1967
Deputy Head Master, Chaplin School Gwelo. Continued teaching Maths, organising
fields and coaching hockey. Started The Midlands` School Exploration Society and
took boys out once a year in the August holidays. Helped start The Gwelo Cancer
Association and became its secretary. Became Chairman of the Rhodesian Hockey
Umpires Association. After acting Head several times and being given the chance
to take early retirement, Clifford decided he'd like to go farming. He was
fortunate enough to be able to purchase part of a farm belonging to an ex-
Plumtree parent in the Eastern Highlands.
1968 to 1972 - Umtali Boys High School
- Clifford taught here for five years, mostly under Coney
Fleming, while he was developing his fruit farm, "Coolridge" over most of the
weekends except when he had hockey ! Moved permanently to Coolridge in 1973. He
was a successful farmer despite the war of Independence and lived a full, hard
working but satisfying life. He joined the
Lions Club of Inyanga and held the office of President during which time the
club was awarded two cups at the International Convention for the first time. He
also spent several years on the Nyanga Rural Council, becoming i/c roads.
Twenty years
later the farm had expanded beyond recognition and it began to get too much for
Clifford. He considered selling but Peter, his son and family came up from
South Africa to work for Clifford. Drought and hail took it's toll as did Govt
Policy so other means had to be sought. A tourist project - "Nyamazi Falls
Chalets" - was started, looking out over a 200m waterfall surrounded by Masasa
trees - quite beautiful. Unfortunately things country-wise went from bad to
worse and when we were able to find a buyer our only option was to sell. Within
six weeks we left Zimbabwe to make our home in Auckland with Jennifer, our
eldest daughter, who is a teacher and who had come to New Zealand two years
previously with her three daughters -Sarah, Tamlyn and Kirsten. Peter, Carole
and their two boys, Anthony and Jason, are also in New Zealand. Peter pastors a
small church in Otorohanga. Our youngest daughter, Verity Joy, is married to a Canadian, Steve
Benner, and they have a daughter Victoria and live in Toronto. We were blessed
by all being together earlier this year for a month.
Clifford was
well, always finding something to keep him occupied and he loved New
Zealand. Once he made his mind up about something he never looked back. Enjoyed
reading till the last and books in NZ are plentiful. Having had two major
operations for blood clots in the legs in 95/96 he was on "wafrin" a blood
thinner. A massive brain hemorrhage took him very unexpectedly, and we are
grateful he did not suffer. A plaque that was on the box of ashes reads "Clifford
Charles Coventry - Our Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Friend - Our
Rock. The end to a Glorious new Beginning". This is being sent back to Juliasdale where it will be put on the wall in The Church of The Good Samaritan
- a church that holds precious memories for us as a family. During the Christmas
holidays as a family we intend taking his ashes to a little coastal town he
liked and let the tide take them out. He loved the sea and the fishing. We know he is
with the Lord he grew to love and depend on for so much and we know we shall all
meet again.
Some excerpts from letters we have received :
NEVILLE LEE (O.P.)
He certainly deserves to be remembered as one of the many great masters the
school was fortunate enough to attract who gave long and outstanding service
inside and outside the classroom.
BASIL
WAKEFIELD (O.P.) I always had the greatest respect for him and in later years
became close friends.
PAT WEST (Plumtree
parent, now in England.)
Our special friend for so many years and know that he will be remembered in our
caring hearts. All our family are eternally grateful to Clifford "Voc" for the
guidance, caring, tolerance and understanding - they could not have wished for
a better teacher with the standard he set, which gave them all a wonderful start
in life. We were privileged to call him "dear friend"
DR COLIN SAUNDERS (O.P.) Clifford was a wonderful man, and he touched the lives of so many young people in this beautiful country. He certainly had a profound influence on me personally. As a hockey Springbok and Captain of the Rhodesian team and it was quite remarkable that he should have reached those heights from a lonely rural base out in the Bundu. He was a hero to me. He taught me how to play the game when I was at Plumtree and of course he inculcated in all of us the spirit of true sportsmanship - as a teacher he was exceptional as he had the ability to make real friends from amongst his pupils, without ever losing their respect (or in fact the awe in which he was held )
BRIEN ROOKEN-SMITH (O.P.) There are many O.P.s who remember Cliff with great affection as he virtually took over the sports load at Plumtree School from Coney Fleming. Then too, he excelled in becoming possibly the only Plumtree master to achieve Springbok colours in any sport and his was of course hockey.
SYD WHEELER (Old Chaplinite) - Those of us he taught remember him with fondness - we called him "Voc"
MIKE RUSHWORTH.(O.P.) Clifford will be remembered by many Plumtree boys with great fondness and respect for the wonderful Maths teacher and sports coach that he was. We thank the Lord for the privilege of being touched by Cliff's life
ROSS FULLER (O.P.) Clifford's
death is the passing of a great man who was loved and respected by so many
people throughout the world - and I say that because was
influential in the lives of so many school children who are grown up and are
settled throughout the world.
TONY PITHEY (O.P.)
I see a lot of DAVE MURRAY (O.P.) and we have often spoken about Cliff and the
impact he made on our lives during our formative years at Plumtree. There is no
doubt that of all the teachers Cliff stood out because of the interest he took
in one's development. I remember how he was determined that I should get through
Maths and to this end he used to give me Maths lessons (free of charge ) during
the afternoons just before Cambridge S.C. examinations. I appreciate the memories
of an outstanding person who was a positive influence on all of us who were
privileged to know him.
ALAN HOWARD (Gaul 1952-1958) - I was saddened to
here that Cliff Coventry had died. Teachers, particularly the popular ones, I
think, are a lot like one’s parents in a way; one expects them to go on forever
! You remember them the way they were when you were at
school. Cliff was an enthusiastic maths
teacher to say the least. In fact pretty well everything he did seemed to be
done with great enthusiasm. He coached hockey, a game I thoroughly enjoyed, but
which at Plumtree you had to show considerable skill early on, because, with
only one hockey field at the time, there were limited positions available. He
told us one story against himself – and he was rarely caught out – about the
time he came into the classroom to see someone’s hat on the floor (we wore them
all the time in those days !), and with a deft kick it
landed on top of the stationary cupboard opposite the door. Cheers from the
class of course ! The next day, there the hat was
again. However, he thought there might be something solid under it and decided
to kick “high” so to speak. The brick was end up and not flat as he suspected
and kicking “high” didn’t help! Again, cheers from the class, but this time
because they were one up !
Gaul had an uninteresting front “garden” which sloped and the
flowerbeds were “dry”. So with his usual enthusiasm he was responsible for many
hours of impot labour collecting soil, rocks and cattle manure in the most
dilapidated open-backed truck you can imagine, and of course once the grass took
off, the hours of weeding; getting the grounds landscaped just before the Sports
weekend of ’54 I think it was. Though I say so myself, we all did a pretty good
job, fish pond and all ! He was strict but fair and
could give deadly accurate “mean” cuts for transgressions. I wonder if the
“punishment” record book is still up to date – my name featured frequently
! Apart from the afore
mentioned truck which was also used to transport boys and camping gear over the
Rhodes & Founders long weekend, he had a Citroen in which some lucky guys were
invited to go along on the occasional duck shooting trip to a local dam. I never
knew how successful they were, but they always enjoyed the trips.
He was a little different from the standard. I liked him.
Easter 1950 - taking boys to Hully's Dam in the Model T Ford lorry
Easter 1950 at Hully's Dam - Cliff Coventry and Dave Napier
Easter 1950 - Cliff Coventry and Tony Pithey
1952 - Cliff Coventry in front of Gaul House with his new Citroen